EITB’s ‘Bizi Natura’ Wins Basque Environmental Communication Award 2026

The Basque Association of Journalists and the Basque College of Journalists have announced that EITB’s wildlife programme “Bizi Natura” is the winner of the Basque environmental communication award 2026, the environmental section of the 15th Basque Journalism Awards. The announcement was made on 16 October 2026, honouring a programme that brought the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve into Basque living rooms through 18 live wildlife cameras.

The Basque environmental communication award goes to live nature television

“Bizi Natura” (Basque for “Living Nature”) was broadcast by EITB in collaboration with Brutal Media from the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve in the spring of 2026. According to the association’s announcement, the programme turned the reserve — its marshes and its surroundings — into Euskal Telebista’s natural setting for three weeks, combining scientific dissemination, entertainment and environmental awareness.

The programme is an adaptation of the BBC’s successful “Springwatch” format. It is the first programme to adapt the “Springwatch” format outside the United Kingdom, the production company Brutal Media working in collaboration with BBC Studios, according to figures reported by EITB. Eighteen cameras followed the fauna, flora and hidden life of the reserve in real time.

An audience of more than 600,000 viewers

According to EITB’s own figures, “Bizi Natura” attracted more than 600,000 viewers and over 12,500 hours of viewing on the ETB ON platform. The association praised the warm reception given by Basque society to the programme, calling it a beautiful experience that combined science communication, entertainment and environmental awareness.

The numbers matter for climate journalism: they show that patient, locally rooted nature broadcasting can compete for mass attention — an encouraging signal for newsrooms that want to cover the environment without resorting to catastrophe-only storytelling. More of Watan News International’s climate coverage is available on watannews.dk/en/.

The prize and its backers

The environmental communication prize is a category within the annual Basque Journalism Awards, created through a collaboration between Ihobe — the Basque Government’s public environmental agency — and the Basque Association of Journalists (CVP-AVP) to promote environmental communication. According to Ihobe, the award’s main aim is to recognise the work of media professionals in promoting environmental culture among economic and social actors and the citizens of the Basque Country.

Previous winners of the prize include Julen Rekondo (2019), Gorka Belamendia (2020), Eva Caballero (2021), Ramón Bustamante (2022), Iñaki Petxarroman (2023) and Jokin Aldazabal (2024), while the 2025 edition went to the documentary “Natura Bizia”. The “Bizi Natura” win continues the prize’s recent turn toward ambitious audiovisual formats.

The 2026 awards in full

Alongside the “Bizi Natura” team, the 15th edition honoured Nieves Concostrina (José Mari Portell Prize for Freedom of Expression), Santi Segurola (Career Path Award), Paco Etxeberria (Character or Social Organization), José Miguel Rodríguez (Juantxu Rodríguez Prize for Photojournalism), the podcast “Voices of Kepa Junkera” (New Digital Journalism and Narratives) and Mikel Ezkerro.

The awards ceremony will take place on 4 November at 7 p.m. in the Sala BBK in Bilbao, with the sponsorship of the BBK Foundation, Euskaltel, IHOBE and the Bilbao City Council.

“Bizi Natura” has had a strong awards season: in September 2026 it was also honoured at the FesTVal television festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz, alongside the programme “Gaupasa”.

Key facts

• What: “Bizi Natura” wins the Environmental Communication prize at the 15th Basque Journalism Awards (2026).
• Announced: 16 October 2026 by the Basque Association of Journalists and the Basque College of Journalists.
• The programme: EITB / Brutal Media, in collaboration with BBC Studios; first “Springwatch” adaptation outside the UK; 18 cameras in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve; 600,000+ viewers and 12,500+ hours on ETB ON (figures from EITB).
• The prize: a category of the Basque Journalism Awards, created by Ihobe and the journalists’ association to promote environmental communication.
• Ceremony: 4 November, 7 p.m., Sala BBK, Bilbao.

Why it matters

Green journalism is often measured by investigations and data. “Bizi Natura” shows another route to the same goal: letting audiences fall in love with a living landscape, in real time, at scale. Awards that recognise such work — and institutions like Ihobe that back them — give newsrooms a practical model for environmental storytelling that reaches far beyond the already-converted.

Frequently asked questions

What is “Bizi Natura”?

“Bizi Natura” is an EITB television programme, produced in collaboration with Brutal Media and with BBC Studios, that adapted the BBC’s “Springwatch” format — the first such adaptation outside the United Kingdom. Broadcast from the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve in spring 2026, it used 18 cameras to show the reserve’s wildlife live over three weeks.

What is the Environmental Communication award?

It is a category of the annual Basque Journalism Awards, organised by the Basque Association of Journalists and the Basque College of Journalists. It was created in collaboration with Ihobe, the Basque Government’s public environmental agency, to recognise media professionals who promote environmental awareness and culture among the public.

When and where will the 2026 awards be presented?

The ceremony takes place on 4 November at 7 p.m. in the Sala BBK in Bilbao, sponsored by the BBK Foundation, Euskaltel, IHOBE and the Bilbao City Council.

Why is this win significant for climate journalism?

The programme drew more than 600,000 viewers and over 12,500 hours of viewing on ETB ON, according to EITB — evidence that slow, locally rooted nature broadcasting can reach mass audiences. It offers newsrooms a proven model: environmental reporting that informs and entertains at the same time.

Who else was honoured at the 2026 Basque Journalism Awards?

Nieves Concostrina received the José Mari Portell Prize for Freedom of Expression, Santi Segurola the Career Path Award, Paco Etxeberria the Character or Social Organization prize, José Miguel Rodríguez the Juantxu Rodríguez Prize for Photojournalism, the podcast “Voices of Kepa Junkera” won for New Digital Journalism and Narratives, and Mikel Ezkerro was also honoured.